This is the third and final Q&A post related to the recent webinar on collaboration. (See previous Q&A posts.)
Q: Do any of the presenters have statistics on use of collaborative technologies e.g., should we be expecting a 100% use rate, a 50% use rate, 25% use rate, or other)? I'm thinking in particular about why we have some challenges getting collaboration off the ground in large organizations (e.g. government). Thanks.
A: Oh do I ever have data. The upcoming AIIM Market IQ on Enterprise 2.0 has over 80 data points in it. (The report should be available for download on March 24.) That is why I have been a bit remiss in making posting to the blog. Dan Keldsen and I have been heads down wrapping up the analysis. (Register now for the webinar complement to the Market IQ on Enterprise 2.0).
There are many ways to answer this question. Let me start by stating there really is no such thing as an expected use rate.
Many factors influence the rate at which a community uses collaborative technologies. Foremost, there must be a need for collaboration, a targeted, valued need.
Secondly, there must be a culture of trust and respect for other opinions. A knowledge management-inclined culture is imperative to the adoption of collaborative technologies. As I mentioned in an earlier post, “…organizations that can be characterized as Knowledge Management-oriented are further along in their adoption cycle of Enterprise 2.0 technology, perceive fewer barriers and are more aware of the potential benefits that Enterprise 2.0 can provide.”.
That said, I can offer some statistics that are relevant to your question and shed further light on the impact that culture can have on this issue of adoption rate.
As the first chart shows, use of blogs, an Enterprise 2.0 technology, is still relatively young, in general. The blue/upper bars represent responses from all survey respondents (414 of them). The green/lower bars represent respondents that we profiled as working in a knowledge-management oriented culture. Overall, adoption of blogs is relatively low. But, the rate of adoption is dramatically more advanced within KM-oriented companies. (Click on thumbnail to view chart.)
The chart below illustrates the level of involvement with collaborative technologies (taken very broadly). This chart represents responses to all 414 respondents. With few exceptions, no single technical approach to collaboration is in use in more than 50% of the organizations. (Click on thumbnail to view chart.)
So back to your question: There is no need, necessarily to strive for 100% adoption of collaboration across your organization. Adoption should not be contrived or mandatory. It should be driven on an as-needed basis. This is a case of "Build it and they will come". But, I am not speaking of building the solution, but the culture. If you focus on establishing and nurturing an open and collaborative business culture, then the adoption of collaborative technologies will naturally follow.
I hope this helps.
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